Android M could bring native fingerprint authentication

Rumours about Android M are circulating and with Google I/O, the company's annual developer conference, fast approaching it's expected that details of the new version of the operating system will soon get announced.

BuzzFeed News is reporting that a native fingerprint authentication system is likely to be part of the Android M package, although there's no verification of where this information came from.

The case of Android M is interesting. We know that Google is following an alphabetical path through Android designation and Google I/O is often when we hear new details of what's coming in the future. Will it be Android Marshmallow?

We've also seen, in recent times, Android's native support being a little behind that of the OEMs. We've seen Android adopt functions from the feature set of its biggest manufacturers. In this case, the Samsung Galaxy S6 flies the flag for fingerprint scanners well.

But we've also seen Huawei and HTC also deploy fingerprint scanners on devices. With rumours started to churn that Huawei might be behind the next Nexus device, we're sure a fingerprint scanner will be front and centre.

The adoption of fingerprint authentication is expected to follow the same lines as Apple has used, both for unlocking of the handset as well as logging into applications - such as authorising a Google Play purchase.

With an eye on mobile payments, having a native fingerprint authentication system may help Android devices move forward with a unified global payment solution too.

We're expecting to see plenty more at Google I/O, be sure to check out everything that's lined up.